As business owners and entrepreneurs we all want our businesses to grow, right?

Whether that means increasing the number of clients/customers working with us, increasing our sales and profits or growing our footprint and our visibility in a particular market.

In order to achieve these goals it is vital that you have a vision for your business.

A study published recently in the Journal of Management Decision (paper: A model of the impact of mission statements on firm performance) noted that businesses with a clear vision and mission outperform those that do not.

How many of your competitors do you know that have a clear vision?

On one side of the coin a great vision will make you a sharper, smarter, better version of yourself and your business and help you deliver higher levels of value to your clients and customers.

The other side of the coin is the passion and energy you bring to your clients/customer with the services or products you provide.

All of which culminates with the delivery of an outstanding experience for your client or customer that beats your competition hands down.

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is like drawing a map of a journey that you intend to take – it shows you the direction you need to go.

Think of it like a picture of the next few years of your business life and what you want to achieve.
Your vision statement provides guidance and inspiration for the growth of your business.

It’s motivational not just for you as the business owner but also for anyone you employ either on a permanent or freelance basis as well as your clients and customers.

How do you create a vision?

Creating a vision for your business can be an incredibly powerful and inspiring activity. Below are seven points to have in mind when developing a vision for your business.

Afford yourself some space so you can give your full attention to creating a vision that will inspire you to take action.

Remember that you went into business for a reason.

Dream and think big. You should be excited at the prospect of what your business will become.

When you write your vision make sure you are connecting emotionally to the words you are writing – this way they will have a much greater motivational impact.

Be clear about your values and which, if any, you are willing to compromise – your vision is part of your lifestyle so you want to make sure this is right for you.

In order for your business to grow and thrive you need to think beyond yourself. Your vision needs to address real problems for your clients and customers – only then will it have a reason to exist and a chance to flourish.

Don’t base your success on someone else’s business. You should always aim to grow a business that you love and that is not a ‘me too’ version of someone else’s idea.

And finally, when you are the owner of your business, even if you are the only person in that business, then you are its leader and you need to lead in a way that enables it to flourish and grow.

As Jack Welch, the Chairman of General Electric said:

“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

This sounds great Carole! Having a clear vision about your business is so important, and should be one of the first things a business owner does, before rushing out to build a website and print business cards.

Carole Bozkurt

Totally agree Mui – when you don’t have a vision and a solid strategy you are like a ship with out a rudder unable to steer your business in the right direction.

Helen

This is so important. Thanks for reminding us! I love how you can celebrate once you’ve hit a target!

Carole Bozkurt

Celebrating our successes is really important – it lifts our vibration and keeps us in that state of thankfulness.

Brilliant blog as always, Carole! It’s so easy to get distracted by ‘stuff’ forgetting the bigger picture. Grounding ourselves and making time to look at the bigger picture is essential and not a luxury.

Carole Bozkurt

Absolutely Carol – we need to have the bigger picture in mind as we focus on the baby steps we are taking to get us there.

Wow! I’m inspired. I’ve a vision but it needs to be more powerful. Thanks Carole.

Carole Bozkurt

Claudia – you are amazing – make that vision bigger, more colourful and more powerful and then manifest the s**t out of it!!!

Denyse Whillier

So true Carole. Jim Collins’ ‘Good To Great’ and ‘Great By Choice’ are excellent on the business benefits of vision.

Carole Bozkurt

Haven’t read Great By Choice yet but I have on my pile How the Mighty Fall!

Darrin Salt

Great blog Carole. I’ve started putting some of my vision statement on my phone – use pictures as well if you’d like. That way, it’s handy when you need a boost – on those stressful days when your feeling less clear or those around you are muddling your mind!

Annette

Great blog Carole. Sometimes I get so stuck in the detail that I forget my vision. Thanks for the reminder x